The first vehicle to get the new engine is the Range Rover Sport HST special edition.

Land Rover isn’t making us wait for the new engine, either: ordering is open now, with prices starting from £81,250.

The new engine, a straight-six design, is being built at the firm’s £1 billion engine plant in Wolverhampton. It succeeds the outgoing 3.0-litre supercharged V6 engine which JLR bought in from a Ford factory in South Wales.

Using the latest technology means it is more efficient and economical, averaging 30.5mpg in the big Range Rover Sport, and producing 12 percent less CO2 than its predecessor (it emits 213g/km).

More significantly, a standard gasoline particulate filter (GPF) means particulate emissions are down by a massive 75 percent.

It’s also fast, accelerating from 0-62mph in 6.2 seconds. The new engine combines turbocharging with an electric supercharger, which gives near-instantaneous boost. This means it responds to the accelerator very crisply, particularly at low speed.

Mild hybrid tech

The supercharger is powered by a high-capacity 48V electrical system – which also gives it mild hybrid (MHEV) tech. The engine stop-start function is extended, and using electric power to boost the engine when pulling away helps reduce real-world fuel consumption. It is recharged automatically when the driver presses the brake pedal.

Nick Rogers, JLR engineering director, is clearly proud of the landmark new engine, which the firm will build alongside other motors in the Ingenium family at its Wolverhampton factory. “In-line six-cylinder engines are inherently better balanced than V6 designs,” he said.